Al Nassr produced an attacking masterclass to beat Uzbek side Pakhtakor 6-2 in the AFC Champions League Elite on Monday, with Joao Felix at the centre of an impressive victory in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portugal forward scored twice and set up two more as Al Nassr secured their second win in the competition. Their previous fixture against UAE club Al Wasl had been postponed, but they made full use of their attacking advantage in Tashkent, with six different goalscoring contributions helping them to a convincing result.
Felix created the opening goal after 15 minutes with a perfectly weighted pass into the path of Abdullah Al-Hamdan. The Saudi Arabia striker met it with a powerful finish that gave the home goalkeeper no chance.
Only two minutes later, Felix doubled the lead himself. He showed composure and close control inside the Pakhtakor penalty area, working his way past the defence before placing the ball into the net.
The 25-year-old completed his brace in the 32nd minute. Sadio Mane supplied the pass, allowing Felix to finish another swift attacking move and put Al Nassr firmly in control before half-time.
Felix then turned provider again eight minutes after the interval. His accurately delivered corner was met by Abdulrahman Al-Amri, whose header found the net to make it 4-0.
Al Nassr manager Ange Postecoglou made several changes during the second half, and one of his substitutes added to the advantage. Abdulrahman Ghareeb collected a pass from Mane before scoring in the 62nd minute.
Pakhtakor managed two goals during the match, but Al Nassr continued to threaten and restored their five-goal cushion in the 79th minute. Angelo Gabriel completed the scoring after taking advantage of excellent individual work by Abdullah Al-Hamdan.
The result gives Al Nassr six points from their two victories in the AFC Champions League Elite and provides a significant boost to their continental campaign.
Felix’s recent form has been particularly striking. He now has eight goal contributions across his last two matches, having created four goals in Al Nassr’s win over Al Kholood in the 12th round of the Roshn Saudi League before scoring twice and assisting twice against Pakhtakor.
It is the second successive time Felix has recorded four goal contributions in two consecutive matches, and the fourth occasion in his professional career. His display in Uzbekistan further underlined his importance to Postecoglou’s attack.
